Even the other day I saw her with him. After that day, when I went to talk to her about it, I found out she took a week’s leave due to sickness. And now she was here. She didn’t look sick to me at all. She looked exhausted, though.

Strange. What was going on between them?

I needed to talk to her. Something was wrong, I could feel it.

I watched her as she rushed into the parking lot and then got into her car before driving away. When I looked back at Arthur, who still stood there, his gaze was already set on me.

My breath caught in my throat.

His dark, blank eyes sent an ominous shiver down my spine. But I didn’t let it show on my face as I held his gaze with my chin high.

A small smirk tugged at the edge of his lips. As if… mocking me. Shoving his hands into his pockets, he turned around and left.

What was it about this man that always unnerved me? He sounded like a really kind and helpful person from Tess, Caleb, and Ace’s mouth. But he didn’t feel like that to me.

Still processing the meaning of his smirk, I pulled away from the window and walked back inside.

Once I was back in the hall, the dance was over. But Ace was nowhere in sight. He was warning me not to go anywhere, and here he was, the one who disappeared.

The small crowd around the place now enjoyed drinks and light conversations under the slow music. I found Mr. Hakimi with two Arabs in a corner.

Approaching them, I cleared my throat, and their attention fell on me. “I apologize for the interruption, Mr. Hakimi. But did you see Ace—I mean, Mr. Valencian?”

A kind smile appeared on his face. “He had an urgent call to attend to. Don’t worry, your man is still here.” He winked.

My eyes widened at his words as a blush crept up my neck. My man? I wrung my knuckles, glancing around. “Uh, can you please tell me which way he’d gone?”

He nodded, chuckling at my bashfulness.

Following his pointed way, I left to find him after I thanked the old man.

Everyone was here, but I couldn’t find a glimpse of him.

Getting out of the hall again, I continued my search. The almost empty hallways gave royal vibes with high ceilings, golden and white walls where huge antique paintings were hung. The dark red curtains of the floor-to-ceiling windows kissed the marble floor. I was momentarily lost in the beauty of the paintings until I bumped into someone.

“I’m so sorry—” My words caught in my throat, realizing who the person was.

The red freaking witch. And…her eyes were filled with tears?